Sinkholes, love always finds a way (Part One)

It’s mid-spring at State College and Dr. Alexis Brown’s boss, Dr. Dorothea Watson, orders her to create a ten-week summer course for undergraduate geology students. Alexis is having problems coming up with a topic. She’s also growing disillusioned with her playgirl life at State College. Every summer, she dates the top graduate student in her class. Every fall, she breaks up with the student

Alexis finally finds a topic she can investigate: a series of sinkholes in a farm owned by college roommate and ex-lover, Isabella Johnson Harris, except that she doesn’t know Isabella identity at the time. She also learns the young woman she accused of helping one of her students plagiarize a final paper is Isabella’s youngest daughter. When she finally uncovers the connections and relationships, it’s too late to cancel the course and so she soldiers on.

Unfortunately, Isabella doesn’t feel the same way. When she looks at Alexis, she sees betrayal and lies. She grabs her grandfather’s old rifle and shoots rock salt at Alexis. The salt pellets deliberately miss Alexis but cause her to jump for cover into a series of deep, wet, freshly formed mud puddles. Thus begins the start of an unforgettable summer project and the women behind it.